OT: computer question.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

My computer is really screwed up. It is a new computer but I had a problem and reinstalled WinXP Home and for some reason the computer changed the drive labels so that the Primary drive is now the H drive. I have discovered that there is another install of Windows on the secondary drive which is now labeled C.

I have automatic update activated and got a message to update and the update proved to be SP2. I clicked it and the update completely trashed my computer. For a while I couldn't get it to boot beyond a white arrow on a black screen. Tried everything I could think of and finally reinstalled the OS again. Things arent working right but I did manage to get booted and on the net. Everything is unbelievably slow.

I want to move all the files from one hard drive to a second hard drive and then reformat the first drive and partition and install two operating systems on the empty drive. Then I want to move the files to the other hard drive with the operating systems and reformat the first hard drive and use it as a back up drive. What is the procedure for moving the files from one drive to another?

[Neil Clemmons]

You should be able to see both drives when you open up "My Computer" and it should show drive C and Drive H. You should be able to drag any folders from one drive to the other and copy them over - to the root drive or to your desktop or My Documents folder.

Most of your program files CANNOT be easily moved from one drive to the other, so I'd probably focus on the documents to start and then you'll have to reinstall the programs from their original disks.

As another alternative, Windows does include a program called "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" which you can run on the startup disk you want to reformat to transfer all your files and settings (IE bookmarks, cookies, etc) from one system to the other. You start it on the source system and save the settings to the other drive. May or may not work depending on whether your system truly is "hosed", but an alternative none-the-less.

Once you copy files over, you can reinstall Windows and choose the option for a fresh install after creating your partitions.

Hope this helps.

Neil

[Andrew Ault]

Sorry to hear about your computer woes, that is always a pain. It is pretty easy to end up with two copies of Windows when trying to reinstall to cure a bad instance of Windows. At work I have two drives and when Windows gets too messed up, I reinstall or Ghost an installation to the other drive. My job includes running a bunch of development stuff, so his happens periodically. Sometimes I fix the problems, but sometimes it is easier to start fresh.

If you can still boot Windows, then you can copy using Explorer. If it will not boot, then the following may be useful. Either way, remove the disk with the copy of your files on it when you reinstall Windows. After Windows is working, reinstall the drive. This will ensure that Windows is installing on the drive you want it on.

If you Cannot Boot Windows

If the computer can boot from a CD-ROM, personally I would boot with Knoppix Linux and make copies of the data to the second drive. This may seem sort of difficult, but it is actually pretty straightforward. When running, you would find it pretty familiar compared to Windows, including an Explorer-like program to copy/paste files to the second drive. You can download the ISO image for Knoppix or buy a copy on disk (pretty cheap, as it just pays for the expense and trouble of making a disk and mailing it). Obviously, you have to be able to burn a CD-ROM from an image to go that route. Teenagers are a great resource for obtaining a Knoppix CD-ROM.

Knoppix Site:

http://www.knoppix.net/

One Place to Get the ISO Image:

http://iso.linuxquestions.org/distro.php?distro=5

I use a little 40 gig USB harddrive for stuff like this. I boot from CD-ROM (I use a variety of the Knoppix type of distro called FeatherLinux), plug in the USB drive and make the copy.

I can understand that you may not want to mess around with another OS. I'm sure there are other ways to copy the files.

Once the data is copied, then, of course the first drive could be reformatted and Windows reinstalled.

Another nice thing is that untill you get your computer fixed-up, you can still use it by booting with Knoppix Linux on CD-ROM. It has word processing, web browsing and the like.

- Andy

[James A. Wolfe]

Are the two drives a new event? My last computer came with the hard drive partitioned into two "virtual" drives that looked just like two separate drives. The manufacturer installed backup/restore files on the smaller drive to be used in the case of a system restore. After the latest lightening storm, I got to experience a re-format and software load from the ground up. The partition is removed and my machine is almost back to normal but it was nip and tuck for a while. Good Luck, Jim

[Tim Armstrong]

Don, I just sent you a PM on this - I think I can get you some help.
Cheers